Advanced Security Awareness Training

national professional services firm in the accounting and advisory sector

Client Profile

A national professional services firm in the accounting and advisory sector, with multiple regional offices and teams handling sensitive client and financial data. Existing cyber awareness training programs were basic and primarily phishing-focused.

Problem Statement

Following a recent security incident, leadership realised their existing awareness program was not preparing staff for real-world attacker behaviour. Employees could recognise generic phishing emails, but were not equipped to detect more sophisticated social engineering, targeted pretexting, or multi-stage attack techniques. The firm needed training that reflected modern threat tactics and clearly outlined each employee’s role in protecting the organisation.

Work Completed

Brace Cyber delivered in-person, high-impact training sessions designed to elevate staff from “phishing-aware” to genuinely attack-aware. The program included:

  • Clear, accessible explanations of how modern attackers think, operate and escalate access

  • Real examples of targeted social engineering and pretexting tailored to their industry

  • Breakdown of how attackers chain techniques together across email, phone, SMS and collaboration tools

  • Walkthrough of the organisation’s incident response procedures and reporting pathways

  • Practical discussions on individual accountability, decision-making, and early detection cues

The training was delivered interactively, with scenario-based examples and open Q&A to ensure engagement and understanding.

Outcome

The organisation achieved a noticeable uplift in staff readiness and confidence. Key results included:

  • A workforce that understands attacker psychology, not just phishing templates

  • Improved detection of unusual requests, advanced pretexts, and multi-step social engineering

  • Greater alignment across staff on escalation paths and incident response responsibilities

  • Increased reporting of suspicious activity, strengthening the early-warning capability

  • A more resilient security culture that supports both the IT function and executive risk priorities

The training helped the firm transform awareness from a compliance checkbox into a meaningful defence layer driven by informed, security-aware employees.